The Effect of Photosensitizer Metalation Incorporated into Arene-Ruthenium Assemblies on Prostate Cancer.

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer for men and a major health issue. Despite treatments, a lot of side effects are observed. Photodynamic therapy is a non-invasive method that uses photosensitizers and light to induce cell death through the intramolecular generation of reactive oxygen species, having almost no side effects. However, some of the PSs used in PDT show inherent low solubility in biological media, and accordingly, functionalization or vectorization is needed to ensure internalization. To this end, we have used arene-ruthenium cages in order to deliver PSs to cancer cells. These metalla-assemblies can host PSs inside their cavity or be constructed with PS building blocks. In this study, we wanted to determine if the addition of metals (Mg, Co, Zn) in the center of these PSs plays a role. Our results show that most of the compounds induce cytotoxic effects on DU 145 and PC-3 human prostate cancer cells. Localization by fluorescence confirms the internalization of the assemblies in the cytoplasm. An analysis of apoptotic processes shows a cleavage of pro-caspase-3 and poly-ADP-ribose polymerase, thus leading to a strong induction of DNA fragmentation. Finally, the presence of metals in the PS decreases PDT's effect and can even annihilate it.

Pegylated triarylmethanes: Synthesis, antimicrobial activity, anti-proliferative behavior and in silico studies.

We describe herein the synthesis, characterization and biological studies of novel PEGylated triarylmethanes. Non-symmetrical and symmetrical triarylmethanes series have been synthesized by Friedel-Crafts hydroxyalkylation or directly from bisacodyl respectively followed by a functionalization with PEG fragments in order to increase bioavailability and biological effectiveness. The antimicrobial activity was investigated against Gram-positive and Gram-negative foodborne pathogens and against Candida albicans, an opportunistic pathogenic yeast. The anti-biocidal activity was also studied using Staphylococcus aureus as a reference bacterium. Almost all PEGylated molecules displayed an antifungal activity comparable with fusidic acid with MIC values ranging from 6.25 to 50 µg/mL. Compounds also revealed a promising antibiofilm activity with biofilm eradication percentages values above 80% for the best molecules (compounds 4d and 7). Compounds 7 and 8b showed a modest antiproliferative activity against human colorectal cancer cell lines HT-29. Finally, in silico molecular docking studies revealed DHFR and DNA gyrase B as potential anti-bacterial targets and in silico predictions of ADME suggested adequate drug-likeness profiles for the synthetized triarylmethanes.

Resistance to ursolic acid-induced apoptosis through involvement of melanogenesis and COX-2/PGE2 pathways in human M4Beu melanoma cancer cells.

Melanoma is one of the most aggressive forms of cancer with a continuously growing incidence worldwide and is usually resistant to chemotherapy agents, which is due in part to a strong resistance to apoptosis. Previously, we had showed that B16-F0 murine melanoma cells undergoing apoptosis are able to delay their own death induced by ursolic acid (UA), a natural pentacyclic triterpenoid compound. We had demonstrated that tyrosinase and TRP-1 up-regulation in apoptotic cells and the subsequent production of melanin were implicated in an apoptosis resistance mechanism. Several resistance mechanisms to apoptosis have been characterized in melanoma such as hyperactivation of DNA repair mechanisms, drug efflux systems, and reinforcement of survival signals (PI3K/Akt, NF-κB and Raf/MAPK pathways). Otherwise, other mechanisms of apoptosis resistance involving different proteins, such as cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), have been described in many cancer types. By using a strategy of specific inhibition of each ways, we suggested that there was an interaction between melanogenesis and COX-2/PGE2 pathway. This was characterized by analyzing the COX-2 expression and activity, the expression of tyrosinase and melanin production. Furthermore, we showed that anti-proliferative and proapoptotic effects of UA were mediated through modulation of multiple signaling pathways including Akt and ERK-1/2 proteins. Our study not only uncovers underlying molecular mechanisms of UA action in human melanoma cancer cells but also suggest its great potential as an adjuvant in treatment and cancer prevention.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of chalcone-polyamine conjugates as novel vectorized agents in colorectal and prostate cancer chemotherapy.

The aim of this study was to synthesize chalcone-polyamine conjugates in order to enhance bioavailability and selectivity of chalcone core towards cancer cells, using polyamine-based vectors. Indeed, it is well-known that polyamine transport system is upregulated in tumor cells. 3',4,4',5'-tetramethoxychalcone was selected as parent chalcone since it was found to be an efficient anti-proliferative agent on various cancer cells. A series of five chalcone-polyamine conjugates was obtained using the 4-bromopropyloxy-3',4',5'-trimethoxychalcone as a key intermediate. Chalcone core and polyamine tails were fused through an amine bond. These conjugates were found to possess a marked in vitro antiproliferative effect against colorectal (HT-29 and HCT-116) and prostate cancer (PC-3 and DU-145) cell lines. The most active conjugate (compound 8b) was then chosen for further biological evaluations to elucidate mechanisms responsible for its antiproliferative activity. Investigations on cell cycle distribution revealed that this conjugate can prevent the proliferation of human colorectal and prostate cancer cells by blocking the cell cycle at the G1 and G2 phase, respectively. Flow cytometry analysis revealed a sub-G1 peak, characteristic of apoptotic cell population and our inquiries highlighted apoptosis induction at early and later stages through several pro-apoptotic markers. Therefore, this chalcone-N1-spermidine conjugate could be considered as a promising agent for colon and prostatic cancer adjuvant therapy.

Migraine with atypical aura in the recovery room: a sometimes complicated diagnosis!

Migraine is a frequent neurological pathology. However, the diagnosis can be difficult to establish, especially when it is accompanied with an atypical aura that can be confounded with a stroke. We describe a case of 38-yr-old patient who presented just after general anesthesia with a perioperative acute migraine with atypical aura which was wrongly treated as a serious cerebral stroke. The patient had not mentioned migraine in her history before the surgery. This lack of information led to unnecessary therapy.

New selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors from cyclocoumarol: Synthesis, characterization, biological evaluation and molecular modeling.

In this work, a serie of cyclocoumarol derivatives was designed, synthesized, characterized and studied for their potentialities as selective inhibitors of COX-2. All target compounds have been screened for their anti-inflammatory activity by the assay of PGE2 production. Among them, compound 5d exhibited the most potent inhibitory activity with a PGE2 inhibition compared to NS-398 (79% and 88% respectively) and showed non-inhibitory activity towards the COX-1 enzyme. Docking studies revealed the capacity of this compound to occupy the selective COX-2 cavity establishing additional hydrogen bonds between the oxygen of the methoxy group and the His90 and Arg513 of the binding site of the enzyme.

Determination of site-specific (deuterium/hydrogen) ratios in vanillin by 2H-nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry: collaborative study.

The results of collaborative study are reported for a method that determines the site-specific isotope ratios of deuterium/hydrogen (D/H)i in vanillin by deuterium-nuclear magnetic resonance (2H-NMR) spectrometry. This method allows characterization of all the main commercial sources of commercial vanillin and detection of undeclared mixtures. It is based on the fact that the amounts of deuterium at various positions in the vanillin molecule are significantly different from one source to another. Vanillin is dissolved in acetonitrile and analyzed with a high-field NMR spectrometer fitted with a deuterium probe and a fluorine lock. The proportions of isotopomers monodeuterated at each hydrogen position of the molecule are recorded, and the corresponding (D/H) ratios are determined by using a calibrated reference. Nine laboratories analyzed 5 materials supplied as blind duplicates (1 natural vanillin from vanilla beans, 2 synthetic vanillins from guaiacol, 1 semisynthetic vanillin from lignin, and a mixture of natural and synthetic vanillins). The precision of the method for measuring site-specific ratios was as follows: for (D/H)1 the within-laboratory standard deviation (Sr) values ranged from 2.2 to 5.8 ppm, and the among-laboratories standard deviation (sR) values ranged from 3.6 to 5.1 ppm; for (D/H)3 the Sr values ranged from 1.7 to 3.2 ppm, and the SR values ranged from 2.4 to 3.7 ppm; for (D/H)4 the Sr values ranged from 2.3 to 6.2 ppm, and the SR values ranged from 2.4 to 6.4 ppm; for (D/H)5 the Sr values ranged from 0.8 to 2.7 ppm, and the SR values ranged from 0.9 to 2.3 ppm. It was shown that these values allow a satisfactory discrimination between vanillin sources. Therefore, the Study Director recommends the method for adoption as a First Action Official Method by AOAC INTERNATIONAL.

Detection of exogenous citric acid in fruit juices by stable isotope ratio analysis.

A new method has been developed for measuring the D/H ratio of the nonexchangeable sites of citric acid by isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS). Pure citric acid is transformed into its calcium salt and subsequently analyzed by pyrolysis-IRMS. The citric acid isolated from authentic fruit juices (citrus, pineapple, and red fruits) systematically shows higher D/H values than its nonfruit counterpart produced by fermentation of various sugar sources. The discrimination obtained with this simplified method is similar to that obtained previously by applying site specific isotopic fractionation-nuclear magnetic resonance (SNIF-NMR) to an ester derivative of citric acid. The combination of carbon 13 and deuterium measurements of extracted citric acid is proposed as a routine method for an optimum detection of exogenous citric acid in all kinds of fruit juices.

Berberis libanotica extract targets NF-κB/COX-2, PI3K/Akt and mitochondrial/caspase signalling to induce human erythroleukemia cell apoptosis.

The aim of this study was to describe and understand the relationship between cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression and apoptosis rate in erythroleukemia cells after apoptosis induction by Berberis libanotica (Bl) extract. To achieve this goal we used erythroleukemia cell lines expressing COX­2 (HEL cell line) or not (K562 cell line). Moreover, we made use of COX­2 cDNA to overexpress COX­2 in K562 cells. In light of the reported chemopreventive and chemosensitive effects of natural products on various tumor cells and animal models, we postulated that our Bl extract may mediate their effects through apoptosis induction with suppression of cell survival pathways. Our study is the first report on the specific examination of intrinsic apoptosis and Akt/NF-κB/COX­2 pathways in human erythroleukemia cells upon Bl extract exposure. Even if Bl extract induced apoptosis of three human erythroleukemia cell lines, a dominant effect of Bl extract treatment on K562 cells was observed resulting in activation of the late markers of apoptosis with caspase-3 activation, PARP cleavage and DNA fragmentation. Whereas, we showed that Bl extract reduced significantly expression of COX­2 by a dose-dependent manner in HEL and K562 (COX­2+) cells. Furthermore, in regard to our results, it is clear that the simultaneous inhibition of Akt and NF-κB signalling can significantly contribute to the anticancer effects of Bl extract in human erythroleukemia cells. We observed that the Bl extract is clearly more active than the berberine alone on the induction of DNA fragmentation in human erythro-leukemia cells.

Determination of the 13C/12C ratio of ethanol derived from fruit juices and maple syrup by isotope ratio mass spectrometry: collaborative study.

A collaborative study of the carbon-13 isotope ratio mass spectrometry (13C-IRMS) method based on fermentation ethanol for detecting some sugar additions in fruit juices and maple syrup is reported. This method is complementary to the site-specific natural isotope fractionation by nuclear magnetic resonance (SNIF-NMR) method for detecting added beet sugar in the same products (AOAC Official Methods 995.17 and 2000.19), and uses the same initial steps to recover pure ethanol. The fruit juices or maple syrups are completely fermented with yeast, and the alcohol is distilled with a quantitative yield (>96%). The carbon-13 deviation (delta13C) of ethanol is then determined by IRMS. This parameter becomes less negative when exogenous sugar derived from plants exhibiting a C4 metabolism (e.g., corn or cane) is added to a juice obtained from plants exhibiting a C3 metabolism (most common fruits except pineapple) or to maple syrup. Conversely, the delta13C of ethanol becomes more negative when exogenous sugar derived from C3 plants (e.g., beet, wheat, rice) is added to pineapple products. Twelve laboratories analyzed 2 materials (orange juice and pure cane sugar) in blind duplicate and 4 sugar-adulterated materials (orange juice, maple syrup, pineapple juice, and apple juice) as Youden pairs. The precision of that method for measuring delta13C was similar to that of other methods applied to wine ethanol or extracted sugars in juices. The within-laboratory (Sr) values ranged from 0.06 to 0.16%o (r = 0.17 to 0.46 percent per thousand), and the among-laboratories (SR) values ranged from 0.17 to 0.26 percent per thousand (R = 0.49 to 0.73 percent per thousand). The Study Directors recommend that the method be adopted as First Action by AOAC INTERNATIONAL.

Aerosolized lidocaine during invasive mechanical ventilation: in vitro characterization and clinical efficiency to prevent systemic and cerebral hemodynamic changes induced by endotracheal suctioning in head-injured patients.

BACKGROUND: In patients with severe brain injury, endotracheal suctioning (ETS) can increase intracranial pressure (ICP) and reduce cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP). The aim of this prospective, blinded clinical trial was to assess the effectiveness of aerosolized lidocaine to prevent increase of ICP induced by ETS in mechanically ventilated head-injured patients. METHODS: First, we measured the particle size of aerosolized lidocaine produced by a vibrating plate nebulizer. Second, we measured the cerebral hemodynamic response to tracheal suctioning in patients in a neurosurgical intensive care unit with and without pretreatment of aerosolized lidocaine. RESULTS: Particle size distribution of aerosolized lidocaine was suitable to reach the bronchotracheal target during mechanical ventilation. In 15 patients included in this study, aerosolized lidocaine by itself did not induce significant changes in ICP. ETS caused an increase in ICP (variation: 6±2 mm Hg, P<0.05) with a concomitant decrease in CPP (variation: 2±2 mm Hg, P<0.05) that was maximal at 1 minute after NaCl aerosolization. This was prevented by aerosolization of lidocaine (variation of ICP: 1±1 mm Hg, and CPP: -1±1 mm Hg, P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Aerosolized lidocaine (2 mg/kg) can prevent ETS-induced increases in ICP, without modifying systemic and cerebral hemodynamics in deeply sedated patients.

Novel methylsulfonyl chalcones as potential antiproliferative drugs for human prostate cancer: involvement of the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis.

Limited success has been achieved in extending the survival of patients with metastatic and hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC). There is a strong need for novel agents in the treatment and prevention of HRPC. In the present study, the apoptotic mechanism of action of RG003 (2'-hydroxy-4-methylsulfonylchalcone) and RG005 (4'-chloro-2'-hydroxy-4-methylsulfonylchalcone) in association with intracellular signalling pathways was investigated in the hormone-independent prostate carcinoma cells PC-3 and DU145. We showed that these compounds induced apoptosis through the intrinsic pathway but not through the extrinsic one. We showed that synthetic chalcones induced an activation of caspase-9 but not caspase-8 in PC-3 cells. Even if both chalcones induced apoptosis in PC-3 cells, a dominant effect of RG003 treatment was observed resulting in a disruption of ∆ψm, caspase-9 and caspase-3 activation, PARP cleavage and DNA fragmentation. Furthermore, in regard to our results, it is clear that the simultaneous inhibition of Akt and NF-κB signalling can significantly contribute to the anticancer effects of RG003 and RG005 in PC-3 prostate cancer cells. NF-κB inhibition was correlated with the reduction of COX-2 expression and induction of apoptosis. Our results clearly indicate for the first time that RG003 and RG005 exert their potent anti­proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects through the modulation of Akt/NF-κB/COX-2 signal transduction pathways in PC-3 prostate cancer cells with a dominant effect for RG003.